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This roasted tomato salsa recipe is easy to make and packed with smoky, spicy flavor. Perfect with tortilla chips, tacos, and more!
This roasted tomato salsa has been one of my favorites for years, and once you taste it, you’ll understand why! Instead of using raw or canned tomatoes, I roast fresh tomatoes, onions, and garlic in a hot oven until they’re softened and lightly charred. Roasting brings out the tomatoes’ natural sweetness, mellows the onions and garlic, and gives the salsa a wonderful smoky flavor. (I use the same technique for my salsa verde, swapping the tomatoes for tomatillos.)
It’s easy to make, and the flavor gets even better after a day or two in the fridge, so it’s perfect for making ahead when you’re having people over.
What You’ll Need To Make Roasted Tomato Salsa
As you can see, this salsa recipe calls for three serrano peppers. Serrano peppers are similar to jalapeño peppers in taste and appearance but they are smaller and hotter. Feel free to substitute jalapeño peppers, if you like, but keep in mind that you’ll only need one or two, depending on how spicy you like your salsa.
How To Make Roasted Tomato Salsa
Toss the veggies with oil: Begin by tossing the quartered tomatoes (I don’t even bother coring them), onion wedges, garlic and whole peppers with the vegetable oil directly on a baking sheet.
Broil: Cook under the broiler until blistered and slightly charred, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add seasoning: Transfer the vegetables to a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and add the salt and cumin.
Blend: Process until slightly chunky. Taste and add the remaining chili pepper(s), if desired.
Finish: Add the cilantro leaves and lime juice and pulse a few times until the cilantro is finely chopped. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions
Make ahead: This salsa is perfect for making ahead, especially if you’re entertaining. Prepare it up to a week in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Give it a good stir before serving, and taste for seasoning. A squeeze of fresh lime juice can help brighten it up after a few days in the fridge.
Freezing: You can also freeze the salsa for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight, freezer-safe container, leaving a little room for expansion. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and give it a good stir before serving. The salsa may release some liquid as it thaws, so just drain off any excess if needed.
Roasted Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
- 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
- 2 small yellow onions, cut into wedges
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 serrano chili peppers, stemmed (use less for a milder salsa)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from one lime
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler and set an oven rack about 5 in (13 cm) beneath the heating element. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Place the tomatoes, onions, garlic, whole serrano chile peppers and vegetable oil directly on the prepared baking sheet and toss with your hands. Broil until softened and charred, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Transfer the vegetables and their juices to a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the salt and cumin and pulse until slightly chunky.
- Add the cilantro and fresh lime juice, and pulse until the cilantro is chopped. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and more lime juice if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and serve warm, at room temperature, or slightly chilled.
Notes
- This recipe is not meant for canning.
- Adjusting the heat: Serrano peppers can vary quite a bit in spiciness. If you prefer a milder salsa, start by blending in just one roasted serrano pepper. Taste the salsa, then add more of the roasted peppers, pulsing after each addition, until it’s as spicy as you like.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you’re following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
What to Serve with Roasted Tomato Salsa
Of course, this salsa is delicious with tortilla chips, but don’t stop there! I love spooning it over chicken fajitas, carne asada, or southwestern burgers. It’s also great alongside guacamole and chili con queso if you’re putting together a spread for a party. And don’t forget about breakfast: a spoonful on scrambled eggs is delicious, too!
More Salsa Recipes You May Like
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This salsa is AMAZING. I made this for a party and everyone devoured it. It’s very easy to make. I left the tomatoes in the broiler a couple minutes longer because eveything else cooked faster than them and I was worried about the garlic burning. I used one serrano pepper and poured some of the finished salsa into a small bowl and added half of a pepper to make a spicy version as well. Definitely making this again!
Question,
I saw that the salsa could be frozen, but has anyone tried canning?
This was delicious! I followed the recipe, but left out the oil. You can roast your veggies without it! Make your own chips by using corn tortillas (check your ingredients.. find ones that are made of only corn, water, lime and salt), bake them at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, and you have a healthful delicious snack. Thank you!!
Most of the heat in a pepper is in the seeds. Remove the seeds before cooking and you’ll have all the flavor with half the heat.
Actually, most of the heat of a pepper comes from the pith where the capsaicin is concentrated. The seeds get their heat from being in contact with the pith.
Oh my gosh! I’m normally modest (read, critical) about my own food, but this may be the best salsa I’ve ever tasted, let alone made myself! Definitely worth the effort of roasting the veggies. My daughter’s “piquant”-averse so I skipped the chilies but I did include a seeded jalapeno in the roasting mix, which was just perfect. It was great atop my chicken and black bean nachos. Thanks for this!
You may roast garlic in its skin! It will protect it. Remove the skin before processing of course
Thanks for the tip! Worked great =)
I want to try this, but wouldn’t the garlic burn under the broiler? How do you prevent that since I think burned garlic tastes terrible.
Hi Steve, All of the vegetables get slightly charred but not burnt, and the garlic cloves are left whole so they really don’t burn quickly. But if you’re concerned, just keep an eye on everything and pull the garlic cloves out early if they are getting too dark.
Would this still be good without the cilantro? I am one of those unfortunate souls whose tastebuds just aren’t wired for cilantro. I may be able to handle a small amount if it blends into the salsa and is a bit undetectable but I’m wondering if this recipe really loses something without it.
Hi Stevus, It will still be absolutely delicious without the cilantro.
Delicious!!!! I used bell peppers, garlic, Serrano and jalapeños with the rest. Best. Salsa. Ever.
Absolutely delicious! I had to stop myself from eating this salsa by the spoonful.